Red Light Cameras and Virginia

[johnc]

For those of you in Virginia:

 

http://www.thenewspaper.com/rlc/news.asp?ID=117

[Mikelly]

The sad reality is that people NEED to be regulated... I see every day where people just BLAST through intersections without care for colors of lights...

 

Mike

[mjfawke]

Around here, they installed combined red light/speed cameras. Needless to say, big increase in accidents at traffic lights, as everyone drops at least 10kph (6mph) as they approach the lights. Too slow to get through the lights before they turn red, so everyone tries to stop. I HATE the damed things.

[Pop N Wood]

Never heard about being able to ignore tickets received in the mail. Anyone know if that is true for Maryland? Doubtful. This state is practically communist compared to Virginia.

 

Just paint your plates with the reflective paint so the camera flash wipes out the plate number.

[zguy95135]

or you could just not go through the red light

[Synlubes]

The link John posted didn`t work so I don`t know what it said, but I am for doing something. IF it can / will be enforced.

At any intersection there will be someone blowing thru the red lite.

I see to many looking around as they go thru the light, knowing they could have stoped for the light.

 

A red light runner crashed into my parents several years ago, the runner didn`t even get charged with anything.

 

Pisses me off!

Give me a rocket launcher, I`ll take care of those a$$ wipes!

[Guest Phil1934]

I went to Charlotte last week and saw cameras at every intersection. When I went through the first yellow I was surprised it only lasted about 1-1/2 seconds on a 40 MPH road. I heard on the radio they were catching 11 violators per hour at one intersection. That ought to tell you the lights are set for revenue, not safety.

[jt1]

There was a big write up in the local paper about the Charlotte cameras. When the city council approved them, the big sales pitch was that money from the tickets was supposed to go to the local schools. BUT: The cameras are owned by a private contractor who get something like 78% of the revenue. The city is soaking up the remaining funds in "administrative" expenses. The school system has yet to see the first penny, after three years of unconstitutional red light tickets. Now they're starting doing the same thing with speeding tickets.

 

JT

[Pop N Wood]

or you could just not go through the red light

 

Man, those cameras have no mercy and no sense of judgement. Miss a light by even a fraction of a second and you see the "pop pop" of camera flashes. Drive an unloaded pickup truck in the rain. If the yellow is quick and your timing off you don't have a chance. A cop sitting on the side of the road could make a judgement call. The camera just spits a ticket into the mail.

 

I don't have a death wish when it comes to red lights but I have to drive in fear of the hand full of intersections that have those damn things.

[Guest DiZeased_240]

I live in Charlotte and it's a money making scam for privateers. I have yet to hear or see proof of the number of intersection wrecks dropping because of red light cameras. You really have to watch yourself because they don't give you much time.

 

Now there are mobile speed cameras here in white police vans. They are run by officers who can set whatever speed limit they want the camera to go off at. Even if you did use the license plate paint(which is illegal in NC and will cost you alot more if you got caught) the cameras are infared and there is no flash. So you don't know until you get one in the mail whether you were caught or not.

[mjfawke]

Man' date=' those cameras have no mercy and no sense of judgement. Miss a light by even a fraction of a second and you see the "pop pop" of camera flashes. Drive an unloaded pickup truck in the rain. If the yellow is quick and your timing off you don't have a chance. A cop sitting on the side of the road could make a judgement call. The camera just spits a ticket into the mail.

 

I don't have a death wish when it comes to red lights but I have to drive in fear of the hand full of intersections that have those damn things.[/quote']

 

I was heading home in the wet a couple of months ago when I had to face one of the dreaded red light/speed cameras, which is on a gentle right-hand bend. Sure enough, right about the "no turning back" point, the light changed. I braked, not particularly hard, but what I didn't realise was that the road surface is completely stuffed and has NO traction when wet. The left rear locked, I caught the slide, but the car flicked back the other way. As I'm passing through 90 degrees to the road, the nose of my car is about 1 foot off the car in the left hand lane who continued on through the lights. I eventually stop before the line, just as the light goes red. I lit the rears up and flicked the car back around and waited for the green. No boost, gentle acceleration, and it was still getting wheelspin in 3'rd. Surprised the hell out of me, because on 'good' surfaces, I can give the car full boost in 1'st with only light wheelspin. Anyway - the brakes are now upgraded and it locks the front wheels first every time... but the sphincter still clenches every time I drive through those lights.